Microsoft is now offering an additional way for people to securely sign into their services. The company has just announced that the Outlook app for Android can be used to verify and sign into Teams, OneDrive, Microsoft 365 and even Windows,
In a blog post, Microsoft says:
With Outlook sign-in verification, you don't need to remember or type any passwords or use a onetime SMS code, you can simply use the Outlook app plus a biometric or PIN to approve a sign-in on your phone. This sign-in verification functionality will be automatically enabled when you use the latest version of the Outlook app.
The company says this new feature will be available for users the next time they sign into their Microsoft account on any device they use. They will get an alert asking them if they would like to approve signing onto their account via the Outlook Android app. They will then see a number on the app that should match the number they see on the device they are trying to sign onto. If the numbers match, the Outlook app should let users access their biometric feature, or use their PN number, to complete the signing process.
Microsoft says that this sign-in and verification method should be more secure than just using passwords or even sending SMS notifications to a user's phone.
If you already use the Microsoft Authenticator app on your Android device to sign into the company's services, don't fret. That app can continue to be used for that purpose.
If you are wondering if the iOS version of Outlook will get this sign-in feature, Microsoft does state that a future update will add this functionality to that app sometime in the future. However, there's no specific date for when that update will become available for iPhone owners for the Outlook app.
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